Vikings add flexibility up front by signing Tom Compton

The Vikings signed veteran offensive lineman and Minnesota native Tom Compton today and his ability to play multiple positions on the OL is exactly what the Vikings are looking for. 

Offensive tackle and Minnesota native Tom Compton was signed by the Minnesota Vikings today, adding depth to an offensive line that needs it desperately with Jeremiah Sirles and Joe Berger exploring other opportunities via free agency.

If the season started today, the Vikings could potentially be looking at Danny Isidora and Rashod Hill as their starting right side, which would be a bit of a concern. The biggest issue with the potential departures of Sirles and Berger is the flexibility they gave the coaches with their ability to play in multiple spots and Compton gives you that same kind of flexibility.

Injuries to the OL can quickly destroy a very promising season. It may be a cliché but there has to be a next man up mentality with players when one of your starters goes down and generally speaking, a starter will get hurt. As we saw last season when Mike Remers was out for an extended stretch, shuffling players around and being able to adapt to the strengths of the players on the field helped the Vikings win 13 games.

Compton having the ability to play multiple positions on the line will hopefully allow the Vikings to stay productive even in the case of injury. Compton is no stranger to starting having done so in five of Chicago’s games last season, if he plays well enough early on in camp, a starting spot is surely possible.

Next: Emmanuel Lamur signs with Oakland

A Rosemount native, He played his college ball in South Dakota and was drafted by Washington 2012 and is evidently, pretty good buddies with that new QB.